The one thing I have learned from Gov. Paterson is that he doesn’t follow rules and he seems to be a man of his word. Sure there was the marital & drug problems but so far he has been relatively fair. He also has one thing I LOVE in a governor in New York, he knows there is a world outside of NYC which means Rochester and her neighbors just might get noticed.

So I was overjoyed this morning not just to find out that he was looking to appoint someone from Upstate but that the woman, Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, also leans conservative, was NRA backed, and opposed TARP (NICE Could we get a Republican to do the same?).

From the NY Post:

Sources said “at least five” members of the state’s Democratic congressional delegation called Paterson to protest the possibility of Gillibrand’s selection. One, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of Nassau County, even threatened a primary challenge. Gillibrand faces a special election in 2010.

Also from the Post

Gillibrand has won two successive elections in one of the heaviest GOP districts in the state, first upsetting incumbent Rep. John Sweeney and, in November, defeating former state GOP chairman and multimillionaire Alexander Treadwell, in one of the most expensive races in the nation.

Liberal Democrats have been wary of her because she ran for re-election with the backing of the National Rifle Association, opposed the federal TARP program to rescue banks, and has been less than enthusiastic about gay marriage.

I am still learning more about her but so far I am happy. We Republicans in NY knew we were getting a Democrat but she could be far more than we had hoped for especially after convincing ourselves we may have had to put up with a Senator Caroline Kennedy.

Govtrack lists her as a moderate Democrat.

I am overjoyed from the news that Caroline Kennedy has dropped her bid for the New York Senate seat and it has little to do with Party or ideology. Frankly New Yorkers were given almost no idea of what Kennedy’s ideology is or what policies she would embrace. Sure we know she is a Democrat, know she was heavily for Barack Obama and we know she is a Kennedy, but what does that tell us about the substance of her thoughts or the beliefs she holds? Nothing!

If voting put you on the public record we wouldn’t have even known then as Kennedy has a spotty record of showing up to the polls. All we knew was Kennedy claimed to have spent a lifetime devoted to public service and our nation, not enough of one to vote but that was what she claimed. Caroline also has never held what most of us would call a “steady” job or at least one that carried with it a nine to five and forty hour a week requirement and we can only imagine how little she did working as an intern for her uncle.

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CNN confirms Kennedy is withdrawing, NY Post editor tells CNN new reports are that Paterson MAY have informed her she would not be selected.

I REALLY hope this report from the New York Post is true. If it is Caroline Kennedy has taken herself out of the race to replace Hillary for “personal reasons.” I have to imagine that means Princess Kennedy got tired of waiting and gave up.

There is talk that Caroline Kennedy could well become my next Senator, proving once again it isn’t what you know but what your last name is. PLEASE let this be just some media hype BS thing and not reality.

It isn’t just that Kennedy has absolutely nothing in her career other than trading on her family name to justify being a Senator; she also has absolutely nothing in her history that ties her to the state that exists outside of New York City. (Something I was happy to see even the Liberal Buffalo Pundit agreed on)

Senator Clinton made it a personal mission to embrace Western, New York and Upstate, New York politics when she first ran. Clinton traveled to every county to meet with people and when she got in office at least tried to make it look like she cared the rest of the state. During her first term Clinton continued to travel to our area and get involved with politicians both Democrat & Republican. Regardless of her politics she gained a heck of a lot of respect for her time here.

For those who don’t know much about our state there is a VERY big difference between the big liberal city, which most associate with our state and the rest of our more rural and suburban areas. The rest of the state is going through vast economic collapse, dealing with corruption and we live a much more conservative existence then those in Manhattan.

While it looks like that Gov. Patterson will be appointing a Democrat with little Upstate experience regardless of Kennedy, her involvement is nothing short of a slap in the face. Her country club, blue blood upbringing, involvement with far left politics, complete lack of experience in governance or legislation aside from a law degree which as far as I know she hasn’t used to actually practice law or use to create legislation. She sits on some boards, raises money and goes to a lot of events but that is hardly a list of accomplishments that place her at the top of the list.

Still, her Kennedy name and history growing up in front of the American people would undoubtedly give her a Senate seat for the rest of her life in this state if she chose. Downstate would gladly elect a Kennedy just as Massachusetts has for so many years now. Sadly Democrats continue to show they value celebrity over experience and Kennedy would be just one more example in 2008.